Murim Login - Chapter 15

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 15
Wi Paeng found himself thinking.
‘What exactly am I witnessing right now?’
Something unbelievable was unfolding before his eyes. The Third Young Master—none other than him—was holding his own against Lee So-gun with perfect balance.
‘Is this an illusion?’
Lee So-gun was no ordinary opponent.
He was the blood heir to the Hengshan Sword Sect Master’s martial arts and a first-rate swordsman.
When the Third Young Master first accepted Lee So-gun’s challenge, Wi Paeng had inwardly sighed. What audacity did this barely-third-rate cultivator possess?
And what? He wanted to come out? Fight a round?
‘The madman’s lost his mind.’
Lately, something seemed different about him. Suddenly he was using formal speech consistently, training in martial arts late into the night.
And there was that nonsense about losing his memory.
Back then, Wi Paeng thought he’d gone insane, but when he heard that the Third Young Master had touched the Hengshan Sword Sect’s greatest treasure today, enlightenment struck. He’d nearly ascended to immortality.
‘That makes sense. A person doesn’t change overnight.’
Wi Paeng had served the Taewon Jin Family for over a decade. In his eyes, Jin Tae-kyung’s potential had transcended mere promise—it gleamed golden.
But what could be done? He was the youngest brother, beloved by their lord, and of direct Jin bloodline. The thought was to save him from becoming a cripple at Lee So-gun’s hands.
And yet….
Thud, thud, thud!
Now he was relentlessly pounding away. Jin Tae-kyung against Lee So-gun.
Wi Paeng recognized the martial arts well. The Jin Family’s fundamental technique and the Jin Family’s spear method.
The skill in linking the two techniques was considerable, and there was even a hint of the seasoned expertise of a wanderer who’d scraped by in back alleys for roughly a decade.
‘What in the world is this….’
Martial arts could not be achieved through mere days or weeks of effort.
This was the natural order Wi Paeng believed in, and he knew of exactly one being who defied this order.
‘The Second Young Master.’
The Taewon Jin Family’s Second Young Master, Jin Moo-kyung. A true genius who defied natural law, having reached the pinnacle before his twenties.
‘Could the Third Young Master possibly be….’
Wi Paeng’s thoughts could not continue further. A commotion erupted around him.
“This match is void!”
“Stop the match at once!”
“The Taewon Jin Family has resorted to dirty tricks!”
“Exactly! There’s no other way our Young Master could lose to such garbage…”
The Hengshan Sword Sect warriors, who had been chuckling just moments before, now placed their hands on their sword hilts.
‘These absolute lunatics.’
While it was true that the Hengshan Sword Sect’s influence had grown formidable recently, these subordinates were acting outrageously.
Just as Wi Paeng was about to step forward, unable to restrain himself any longer.
Whoosh— crack!
Wind swept through, and a dozen teeth flew skyward.
The Hengshan Sword Sect warrior, blood streaming from his mouth, looked up with a dazed expression at the massive shadow looming over him.
“What trash?”
Ugh. Ugh-ugh.
Jin Wi-kyung looked down coldly at the warrior who couldn’t even pronounce properly, then struck the man’s jaw with a palm the size of a cauldron lid.
Crack! Thud-thud.
The warrior spat out all his remaining teeth from the single blow, lost consciousness, and collapsed.
Leaving the frozen Hengshan Sword Sect members behind, Jin Wi-kyung returned to his seat and resumed watching the match directly.
Wi Paeng exhaled heavily.
“This could cause problems….”
“Wi Paeng.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t say another word.”
Jin Wi-kyung gazed at his youngest brother with gleaming eyes and added:
“This is the best moment of my life.”
* * *
This was my first time using martial arts in actual combat. After learning them, I’d never had occasion to fight anyone, nor did I want to.
‘But….’
I’d always wondered: if I faced an enemy, if the moment came to use martial arts in real combat, how would I respond?
In that regard, my time in the Training Pavilion held considerable meaning.
Thwack!
“Gasp!”
Lee So-gun’s waist bent like a shrimp from the direct strike to his abdomen.
He’d dropped the greatsword he was holding long ago. I continued advancing, swinging the spear shaft, and each time Lee So-gun’s screams tore free.
Thwack, thwack, thwack!
“Aaaaagh!”
Truth be told, I was flustered at first. My kicks were working? On me, a mere level 14, against Lee So-gun at level 30?
But after exchanging more than fifty blows, I understood.
‘I’m stronger.’
Lee So-gun was certainly strong. In real-world terms, he’d be equivalent to at least a C-rank Hunter.
But I was stronger. A subtle difference, yet unmistakably so. Raw strength, stamina, agility.
‘And experience.’
“Roaaaah!”
Lee So-gun charged with a bestial roar. He was fast. And devastating. With each step, the Training Ground floor dented and cracked.
‘But he lacks technique.’
Lee So-gun was young. Being young meant limited experience. Against amateurs, raw power could compensate, but I was different.
Stronger and far more experienced.
‘I will win. Without question.’
Not a vow—a certainty. That’s why I discarded the spear without hesitation. A clash of bare bodies, both unarmed. At the sight of me abandoning my weapon, fire blazed in Lee So-gun’s eyes.
“You’re looking down on me! How dare you, how dare you!”
Anger stiffens the body and simplifies movement. I swept the legs of the charging Lee So-gun and brought him down. Then I mounted his chest as he tried to rise.
“What is this…!”
I looked down at his bewildered eyes and asked.
“Ever heard of a full mount?”
Without waiting for an answer, I drove my fist down. Lee So-gun desperately thrashed his head, but it was futile.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Jaw, cheek, forehead, nose—I rained blows across every part of his face without discrimination. Lee So-gun, who had been writhing and screaming endlessly, suddenly went limp.
‘That should be enough.’
My purpose in this match was to avoid war with the Hengshan Sword Sect.
If Lee So-gun suffered serious injuries, that would be problematic. I needed to stop at an appropriate point.
I shook Lee So-gun’s shoulder with some concern.
“Hey, you okay….”
Crack!
My vision flashed white for a moment. A slight dizziness. Crimson droplets of blood dripped from my aching jaw.
It was the result of Lee So-gun’s fist grazing me.
‘Ah, I let my guard down.’
If I hadn’t instinctively pulled my head back, it would have been a serious blow. It was a strike infused with martial power.
“You dodged that?”
Seizing the opening, Lee So-gun quickly escaped the mount, his face utterly shocked. Well, he probably never expected to suffer such humiliation at the hands of someone like me—or rather, Jin Tae-kyung.
Especially since his decisive counterattack had been rendered ineffective.
“This can’t be… this can’t be happening.”
I answered Lee So-gun, who was muttering as if entranced, with courtesy.
“Life throws all sorts of surprises at you.”
“Why! How! How is this happening! I am Lee So-gun. Lee So-gun of the Hengshan Sword Sect!”
Lee So-gun screamed with bloodshot eyes.
“I’ve honed my skills for ten years. Yet why! How could I lose to trash like you! To someone as dissolute and lazy as you!”
Though he was merely a game character, in this moment I empathized with Lee So-gun’s feelings. The sensation of having one’s efforts betrayed. That emptiness and void.
‘I felt the same way.’
I had felt it for seven years. It was a sense of deprivation that dulled with time but never truly disappeared. I had eventually come to accept it.
A cruel reality. I spoke to Lee So-gun.
“Surrender now. You’re weaker than me.”
Lee So-gun’s eyes blazed at those words.
“Shut your mouth!”
In the next instant, the air around us crackled and hummed. Lee So-gun’s form, drawing upon every last ounce of strength, shot forward like an arrow.
“I made it clear. The choice was yours.”
“Don’t spout nonsense!”
Whoosh.
With the sound of wind tearing, his fist grazed perilously close to my face. That alone was enough—my skin split and blood flowed.
It was faster and more powerful than any attack I’d witnessed thus far.
‘But I’m the same.’
I infused my right foot with martial power and drove it down onto Lee So-gun’s instep. Crack. With the sound of bone breaking, his foot was driven into the Training Ground floor.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
I drove a straight punch into the screaming man’s face. His nose shattered and teeth scattered. With his leg buried up to the calf, he couldn’t even pull himself away.
One more. More. More.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Chest. Ribs. Abdomen. And finally.
‘The solar plexus.’
Crack!
It landed perfectly. Not just a fist, but a strike packed with concentrated inner force. Lee So-gun’s eyes widened in shock.
“Kgh—”
His pupils lost focus. His weakened waist bent backward, and his collapse unfolded before me like slow motion.
Even the sight of my right foot driving toward his abdomen.
Boom!
With a sound like a balloon bursting, Lee So-gun’s body flew through the air.
Everyone watched the scene unfold. Jin Wi-kyung, Wi Paeng. The people of the Taewon Jin Family and the warriors of the Hengshan Sword Sect. And me.
Thud.
After flying over a dozen meters, Lee So-gun remained motionless—unconscious.
I exhaled the breath I’d been holding. I stood tall, receiving the gaze of dozens of eyes that had shifted from Lee So-gun to me.
“Huff, huff.”
Ding.
–
[Martial Arts Tournament]
Quest completed successfully!
– Quest rewards have been granted!
– Title,
[Warrior]
obtained!
– Experience and Reputation gained!
– Additional rewards granted for overwhelming performance!
–
[Jin Family Martial Art]
proficiency increased to 4-star!
–
[Energy Sense]
proficiency increased to 3-star. You can now perceive targets up to level 50.
– Level Up!
– Level Up!
– Level Up!
The system notifications rang out like celebratory fanfare.
* * *
The Hengshan Sword Sect departed. Since they’d all arrived on horseback, the Taewon Jin Family had to lend them carriages to transport the wounded.
But Lee So-gun aside, what about the other one?
Whatever had happened, all his teeth were gone, and the cloth stuffed in his mouth was drenched with blood. Good heavens, what kind of monster had…
At that moment, Jin Wi-kyung patted my shoulder with a solemn expression.
“Well done. You performed better than expected.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you….”
“Why do you hesitate?”
It was probably because of the blood spattered across your cheek.
For reasons I couldn’t quite grasp, I’d somehow crippled a man in that brief moment.
“So, what do you think?”
“Pardon? What do you mean, sir?”
“About ending your seclusion now. Though it’s true your usual conduct has been poor, the remarkable display you showed today is a great blessing for the main family.”
Jin Wi-kyung glanced around before continuing.
“What do the rest of you think?”
The senior members appeared lukewarm, but there was no sign of outright opposition. Compared to the looks I’d received in the conference hall earlier, this felt almost favorable.
‘Is it because they’re Murim practitioners?’
From what I’d read in novels, Murim was a place where strength took precedence over justice, and it seemed my victory over Lee So-gun had made an impression.
“You should answer, shouldn’t you? Haha.”
…Or perhaps it was because of Jin Wi-kyung.
My mouth smiled, but my eyes didn’t. With the droplets of blood smeared across my cheek, I looked like I’d stepped out of a horror film.
“I wholeheartedly agree.”
With Wi Paeng’s manipulation of opinion added to the mix, others began voicing their support one by one. Jin Wi-kyung smiled with satisfaction as he observed this display of force overriding democratic process.
* * *
‘Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!’
Lee So-gun clenched his lips tightly. Jin Tae-kyung. That cursed bastard’s face wouldn’t leave my mind.
‘I lost? To that trash?’
This matter with the Taewon Jin Family had sufficient justification.
If the Hengshan Sword Sect gained from this, all well and good; if they refused, it would have been a complete victory regardless.
Jin Tae-kyung. If I’d crippled that bastard, word would have spread throughout Shanxi Province. That the Taewon Jin Family had suffered humiliation at the hands of the Hengshan Sword Sect.
But I failed.
‘What is this?’
I’d held a sword since childhood. I wasn’t a genius, but I was no mediocrity either.
Second son of the Hengshan Sword Sect. A promising rising star. A first-rate swordsman. I’d always been the object of admiration….
‘Damn it!’
Everything I possessed today was shattered. Before Jin Tae-kyung’s merciless violence, I knelt for the first time and lost consciousness.
When I opened my eyes, I was already inside a carriage. Even this carriage belonged to the Taewon Jin Family. Fire poured from my eyes.
‘I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you with my own hands, Jin Tae-kyung!’
Unable to contain my rising fury, I struck the wall, and the carriage came to a halt. I shouted harshly.
“What are you doing! Don’t dawdle—depart again!”
In that instant, a sharp pain pierced my brow.
– Depart? Of course. But going back to the Hengshan Sword Sect might be a bit difficult.
‘Telepathy?’
Who are you! I cried out, but my voice didn’t escape.
My chest tightens, and my throat burns with pain. The carriage lurches forward again.
“Let’s do this instead. We’ll head to Beimang Mountain first. We can visit the Hengshan Sword Sect next time.”
‘What is he—’
It happened in the span of a few blinks. My limbs went numb, and searing pain erupted through my body. Lee So-gun turned his trembling head with difficulty.
Someone wearing a mask was staring down at him.
“Grrk, grrk…”
Who was this bastard? Instead of words, only blackened blood poured from his mouth. His vision blurred, and sound grew distant.
‘P-please… save me…’
That was the end.
The next moment, he plummeted into darkness.
“Farewell, you petty schemer.”
The Masked Figure smiled coldly as he retrieved the deep blue acupuncture needle lodged between the corpse’s brows.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————